Update on Capt. John Strother Chapman

This is an update on the death of Capt. John S. Chapman, who served under Col. Adam Rankin Johnson during the Civil War.  Even though it is nice to have some information on his burial, we still do not know for sure where he is buried. Tradition says he is buried at St. Ann's Cemetery in Morganfield, but no tombstone has been found there or any other cemetery..

The son of Thomas Strother Chapman and Prudence Huston of Morganfield,  John S. Chapman enlisted in 1861 in Co. B, 4th Kentucky Regt. Infantry, CSA.  During the battle of Fort Donelson, he was taken prisoner and sent to Camp Chase. After escaping, he served in Gen. William Preston's Brigade and later in Co. H. (later Co. F) of the 10th Kentucky  under Col. Adam Rankin Johnson.

After the war, John S. Strother returned to Union County, where he married Hettie Hite and five children were born to them. Hettie died in 1882 and John S. died in 1885. Below is the article[1] published after his death.

"The obsequies of Capt. John S. Chapman attracted a large crowd to town to-day, and his funeral is said to have been the largest seen in Morganfield for years. He was a son of one of the old pioneers of the county. He served in the Confederate army, first as a lieutenant of Company B, Fourth Kentucky infantry, and afterward, raising a company, he entered the Tenth Kentucky cavalry, under the command of Col. Adam Johnson. He went through Indiana with Morgan, and was present in many of the engagements in which that commander participated. His remains were followed to the grave by a large number of his former comrades in arms."

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[1] "Death of Capt. Chapman," Evansville Daily Courier, Thurs., 27 August 1885, p. 1

Published 3 Feb 2017, Western Kentucky Genealogy Blog, http://wkygenealogy.blogspot.com/

Letter to the Children 1905

Aaron Waller Mason

It isn't often that a parent writes a letter to his children outlining his wishes on the handling of his estate. The following very poignant letter was written by Aaron Waller Mason, who was born 28 August 1852 in Morganfield, Union County, Kentucky, to his children several months before his death. Many thanks are due the family of Aaron Waller Mason and especially Patricia Gallagher Campbell pgc@insightbb.com for sharing the letter and photo.

November 20th, 1905

To my four Children

I am leaving you an inheritance and hope each one of you will handle it judiciously and be able to add to instead of diminish. It will help to hold your station and be fine in sickness and old age whatever it is I can say it has all been gotten by honest effort; never have I lied, misrepsented, or in any way, used deception to make sales or a trade and I hope and believe you will all have the same idea of trade and life. I had fully intended makeing Gordon one of my executors but he being under age could not. I made the settlement of my estate five years on account of my youngest children having a home, but if in a little while it is broken up then you can

[pg.2] go to the court and get permission to sell the Home. The home question has bothered me more than all the other property and now I am no nearer a solution than at first. It will be quite expensive to run as it now is with so few there and I have thought maybe Mr. Newman and Camilla might take it free of rent and let the children pay only their part of the expense and then I have thought they might run it and the children board with them. They are all problems with me and I can only say as time passes it may adjust these things. They are two far in the future for me to decide. I don’t think any of the children would care to own the home it is too expensive with what is back of it. I mean

[pg.3] you would not have enough to own it and make a living out of the rest. . I think it will be wise to use any Insureance to pay A.Waller and Co, that is if they will pay the dividend to you yearly. I think Chapmans understands this. My other estate I think in good shape and not be hard to handle, but if you should need counsel I would suggest you counsel with Jim Waller for I know he is my friend as well as yours and will do all he can to assist you. If I had gone out of the family for an executor he would have been named. I feel sure he would be a great benefit to you in selling the home place. I know Chapman is from home [Submitter's note: Chapman was not living in Morganfield at the time of this letter. He was living in Henderson and I think this is what he is referring to here.] and may feel that it will be hard for him to attend to these

[pg.4] things and if you should give it up Jim or the Peoples bank and Trust Co. would be good people to handle it, except I would not want the reality sacrificed in order to get it in money. These are suggestions that I don’t suppose will amount to anything. Now Gordon will soon be grown and will probably save money and will probably be in the country. I feel he will be able to take care of himself; but now to Lide and Lucian you know they will need your care and sympathy and I feel you will both help care and look after them. Little sister will be all broken up but-she must-stand brave and lean on you boys and Camilla. I hope and believe Camilla will be the same aunt to them she has been so faithfully and so long. I am sure

[pg.5] her reward awaits her. Now in conclusion I want to say I don’t want you all to grieve after me, it will do no good at all and why worry, just take hold and get all the sweet out of life you can and after a while I hope to meet you all in a place prepared for them who are faithful to the end.

Your Papa

My aim has [faint; hard to read]


Aaron Waller Mason died 8 June 1906 in Morganfield. He married Lucy Allen Chapman 3 May 1877 and they had the following issue: Houston Chapman Mason (1879-1952), Allen Gordon Mason (1885-1955), Mary Lide E. Mason (1889-1921) and Lucian Carr Mason (1892-1918).

Tombstone Tuesday - Thomas S. Chapman

Thomas S. Chapman
Died
Dec. 10, 1877
Aged 66 years

Prudence F. Huston
Wife of
T.S. Chapman
Born
Jan. 17, 1817
Died
Nov. 27, 1897

Both inscriptions are on the same tombstone in Masonic Cemetery, Morganfield, Union County, Kentucky. Photograph dated 24 May 2009. Click on photo for an enlarged view.

According to History of Union County, Kentucky, published by the Courier Company of Evansville, Indiana (1886), Thomas S. Chapman was born 2 February 1811 and was the son of John Strother Chapman and his wife, Polly. Thomas S. Chapman married Prudence Huston 20 February 1834 in Daviess County, Kentucky. Among their children were John S. Chapman and Lucy Allen Chapman Mason, both featured on this blog in previous weeks. Thomas S. Chapman was Union County Court Clerk for eight years.

Tombstone Tuesday - Aaron and Lucy Mason

Aaron Waller
Mason
Born Aug. 28, 1852
Died June 8, 1906
“Revelations 21-7”

Lucy Allen
Chapman
Wife of A.W. Mason
Born Dec. 22, 1856
Died Dec. 7, 1893
“Ecclesiastes XII”

Buried Masonic Cemetery, Morganfield, Union County, Kentucky. Tombstone photographed April 2009.

Aaron W. Mason was the son of Joseph A. Mason and Elizabeth Waller. Lucy Allen Chapman was the daughter of Thomas Strother Chapman and Prudence Huston and a sister of John S. Chapman

John S. Chapman of Union County, Kentucky

John Strother Chapman was the son of Thomas Strother Chapman and Prudence Huston of Morganfield, Union County, Kentucky. On the 15th of August 1861, John S. Chapman enlisted in Company B, 4th Kentucky Regiment Infantry, CSA and was elected 2nd Lieut. 9 September 1861. During the battle at Fort Donelson, he was taken prisoner and sent to Camp Chase. He escaped 1 March 1862 and went to Corinth, Mississippi, where he was assigned to Gen. William Preston’s Brigade. Chapman later resigned and returned to Kentucky to recruit for Company H. (later Company F), 10th Kentucky for Col. Adam Rankin Johnson, who was responsible for much of the skirmishing in western Kentucky.

As a captain, Chapman was captured 20 July 1863 in the “Ohio Raid” at Cheshire, Ohio and sent first to Fort Delaware and then to the Ohio State Penitentiary, where it was believe that no escape was possible. This claim was proven false as Gen. John Hunt Morgan and six other men did make a daring escape from the penitentiary in November 1863. Chapman did not participate in the escape and was finally paroled at Richmond, Virginia in the spring of 1865.

After the War, Chapman returned to Union County, where he married Hettie Ann Hite, daughter of William Hite, in 1868 and settled down on his farm a few miles from Morganfield. Five children were born to this couple, but two died young. John S. and Hettie Chapman also died early, he in 1885 and she in 1882. The family legend is that all, excluding one son, died of tuberculosis. Chapman is said to have been buried in the Catholic cemetery, possibly St. Ann’s, Morganfield.

Copyright on text and photographs
by Brenda Joyce Jerome, CG
http://wkygenealogy.blogspot.com/